Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I have made some changes to my travel blog....moved some things around and added some new items. So, if you have the time you may want to have a little "looky-loo" ThanksCheck out Donna and Stu's new site called Toadilypets. Toadilypets is the cutest site and if you have not checked it out....take a minute and do so....I think you will really like what you find. Especially if you are a lover of all things furry and wiggly.....you know I am!Lastly....thanks for all the comments on the previous post. As to where the table came from....a local furniture store called Kittles in Lafayette, Indiana. I could not find a manufacturer's name on it, but it is certainly not exclusive to Kittles and it is not an expensive table. Sorry I could not be of more help. That's about it for today....I'm anxious to start a new painting....have a great day!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

I hope everyone had a most enjoyable Thanksgiving....I know we did. I'm not sure if I had shown you this before or not....if I have please forgive the dead brain cells that have forgotten...

This is a photo of our new dining table and chairs. The chairs are nothing special, I had them tucked away in storage knowing someday I would use them. I am currently looking for some fabric to reupholster them to match the rest of my decor. The table....we love, it is just the right size. One of the things we love the most.....the leaves that drop on either side. Great for travel mode. So, here are some photos of what our fiver looks like when we are bouncing down the road.....

Both slides are in and as you can see we can comfortably walk to the back. That is where the new table comes into play. Our old rectangle of a table fit so tightly at the end of the counter that you really had to work to "squeeze" by it. Things are so much easier now and if we stop for lunch we can actually use the table.....a big plus! We have complete access to our kitchen and bath areas.

Here is the "packed" view of the back of the trailer. Everything rides very well.

Here is the view of the side slide. We can actually sit in the chair and watch tv. We also have complete access to our desk area.

Last but not least....the furbabies. They have been trained to stand either there or next to me in the kitchen....when the slides are going in or out. They do very well with this and they are so very excited when the slides go out. When I give them the go ahead they both charge into the living room....make the circle and each pops up into a recliner. What a life! So, there you have it.....The Goodelife, on the road.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving will be spent with just the two of us, oops, four of us....can't forget the furballs! I'll miss my family, but I will enjoy the day. Yes, we will do a Thanksgiving meal with all the traditional fix'ens. The furballs will have a treat of turkey and sweet potatoes on their plates as well. It has been a tough year at times....I'm sure many of you feel the same...and I find those 'tough times' make the blessings in my life all the sweeter. I have friends and family who love me.....and all my faults. I am also blessed with the most beautiful grandson and his Mom....who has become like a daughter to me. I have many blessings in my life and I am Thankful for every one......now go, enjoy.....be thankful....and be blessed.....Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Have not done anything exciting, just getting to know our surroundings. We found a Wally World just down the street from us and a nice little mall. There is also a very nice Safeway here....so guess we won't starve....LOLThe weather here the last few days has been a bit on the windy and cool side. We even had a little sprinkle of rain the other evening. It seems a cold front came through, but not to worry temps are still in 60s day and 40's night. If the wind would just go way things would be fine. Bullhead City is kinda like living in a "bowl" with the mountains all around you. So when the wind comes in and "slaps you in the face" it also then turns around and "kicks you in the behind"......I'm ready to be done with that! Yesterday, I was in a baking mood. I really do enjoy baking and I love my kitchen in my fiver. It is just the right size and everything is in easy reach. Here is the result.......

Gingersnap cookies fresh from my convection oven.....mmmm, good! I did have one mishap....my oven is capable of 3 settings....convection, halftime, and microwave. I use the convection setting for baking and oops on the last batch I forgot to hit the convection button. It defaults to microwave....after about 3 minutes the aroma of burnt cookies filled the air and I knew what I had done....ah well, I didn't let a few burnt cookies spoil the day!And here.....you see what the "men" of the house were up to for most of the day on Sunday.......

Well, needless to say, we made it. Was it worth it......OH YEAH......take a look.

This is our site....backing in was a little challenging as this is a small rv park, but the manager came out and helped us and we were in and set up in no time. Those ropes you see are lighted ropes separating each site on each side.....really nice soft lighting for evening. We have a concrete patio with picnic table and even a little grass for the furballs. The rest of the site and surrounding area is gravel. We are able to park the truck right across the way so we have more room on the site itself.

This is the utility side of our site, plenty of room to put up our satellite for internet and our tv dish is at the back. They do have pretty good cable here, but we are used to our Direct TV. As to internet, our verizon air card is marginal so we put up our hugesnet. I just assumed the park internet (tengo) would cost, but I found out this morning that it is free.

Now, this is the very best part.......this is the view from the patio of the clubhouse...which is just a few steps away from our site. Yep, that is a fisherman down there and he is catching some trout.

Here is another shot.....the Colorado River....the water is so clear.....and it is so peaceful. This is going to be a wonderful winter......here at the El Rio Waterfront Resort.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

We had another great travel day through the Tonto Forest. We took US 70 out of Safford and then picked up US 60 around Globe.....I10 around Phoenix and then back to 60 to Congress. Driving through the Tonto Forest was......well, just magical. The rock formations are just awesome. Of course, the ride back down the mountain was a little scary for me.....but the beauty of it all.....I'm just so amazed. I felt "childlike" seeing and experiencing things for the first time....it is a wonderful feeling and I'm so thankful for this fulltime lifestyle. I know I would have never had these experiences if not for fulltiming. I took a bunch of photos with my iphone. I just have not had time to download them and see if any are decent enough to publish here on the blog......look for some photos next time.We arrived in Congress and set up at the Escapees North Ranch around 3pm. After set up and feeding the furballs we headed into Wickenburg for dinner. There is a little Mexican place there and it is so very good and very reasonably priced. After dinner, it was back to relax in our easy chairs. Today we continue our journey to our winter destination in Bullhead City. I checked out the map and we will be taking another one of those "scenic" drives......stay tuned.....

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

We have enjoyed our stay here at Roper Lake that we extended another 2 nights. I did manage to get into that spring fed hot tub and had it all to myself......wonderful! Yesterday we wondered into town and found the local Walmart. Stocked up on a few groceries and then found a propane fill up station as well. Next, we found a nice steakhouse. They had an early bird special 8oz filet with all the fixen's for $10.00 and it was very good and tender. Neither of us could finish our steak so the furballs had a little "extra" on their supper plate last night!

Here are some photos of the beautiful sunset here at the park. The one above was shot right out our doorway. The one below was shot over the lake.

We will be leaving this peaceful place tomorrow. Did a lot of checking and searching for a spot for the winter around the Phoenix area......and just couldn't find the "right" fit for us. Ended up expanding our search to include Bullhead City and "Bingo" we came across El Rio Waterfront Resort sits right on the Colorado River. We booked their last spot for the winter! We plan on stopping in Congress for an overnight at North Ranch Escapees Park near Wickenburg....Love that place!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Our journey yesterday was smooth and uneventful.....just the way we like it. We are currently close to Safford, AZ in a super state park Roper Lake. Billy had done a little research and found this park....what a little jewel it is. We arrived here around 12:30 and the park ranger told us there was a wedding going on in the park today, but there were still plenty of nice spots available. It seems the wedding party had reserved the entire cabin and tent area. That meant that a group of tent campers were relocated to one of the rv camping areas. The tent campers did take up quite a few rv spots....these are paved and have water and electric....but we still managed to find a pree-mo spot.

Here we are....in what feels like our own little "private" camping spot. There is quite a bit of room between campsites, plus lots of bushes and small trees.

This is the view out our door.....we even have our own little path to the spring feed hot tub!

This is a view of our fifth wheel from "street side" the tent campers were right across from us and must have had at least 20 kids with them.....all ages. While we were setting up, one of the littlest ones decided to explore the underside of our fifth wheel. I was out with the furballs and saw the little guy. Billy and I were both trying to get him to come out....but it was clear he did not speak any English. Finally, he came out and then came running right towards our two dogs. I started telling him no, but he just kept chasing me round the picnic table. I imagine that was quite a sight! Anyway, I finally got the dogs inside and Billy hollered over at the adults to please come get this little guy....which they did. He was cute as can be.....but, my dogs are not use to kids and although they have never so much as growled.....I just didn't want to take any chances. Especially with an over excited 3 year old who doesn't speak English!

This is a view of Lake Roper.....you can fish and boat

This is a photo of the island peninsula.....the wedding was held there

We had originally planned to only spend one night here, but we are enjoying the surroundings so much that I went ahead and booked us for one more. The weather has been wonderful....a little chilly at night (low 30's) but sunny and warm during the day (high 60's). Today I plan on exploring the park...there is a trail that goes round the lake and of course I'm planning on checking out that spring fed hot tub....

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Today is another travel day....leaving Las Cruces and heading toward Phoenix. I don't think we will make it all the way to Phoenix though....we will probably be stopping at one of those less than stellar rv parks along the highway for the night. I did forget to tell you all that when we left Toad Suck, (I just love saying that name...LOL), I personally dumped the black tank. I figured I had better learn how to do that....just in case Billy can't for some reason. So, he stood by telling me step by step and I, wearing not one but two pair of gloves, proceeded to "dump". The only problem I had was removing one of the fittings from the hose at the end.....took a little more muscle than I could manage, but it may have had more to do with the two pair of too large gloves I was wearing.....he,he! At any rate, I was proud of myself for doing it and feel confident I could do it by myself if the need arises. It really didn't bother me. I guess being a woman and having had a child prepares you for all that "s--t" coming down the line......it's nothing we ain't seen before....LOL!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Yesterday was just one of those "Extra Goode" days.....We left Bottomless Lakes and headed southwest on Highway 70. I was really kinda anxious about traveling through the mountains, but it turned out to be absolutely gorgeous and only a little bit terrifying! We would go through desert like conditions and high temps in the 70's and then as we would rise in elevation the temps would drop (some into the 50s) and the scenery would turn green with tall fur trees. I highly recommend Highway 70.....mostly four lanes, decent blacktop, and not to twisty or steep. I noticed on the map that we would be going by White Sands and I told Billy this time....we were stopping to have a look. We had driven by this last time we went west and I always regretted having not stopped. Well, Billy gave me that "Oh, do we have to", look and I gave him that " Yes, we have too" look right back! As we pulled into the entrance, I have to admit I was having second thoughts. It didn't look too impressive at this point. Down the long drive we drove....remember we have our "not so little" home behind us. I was starting to worry about getting stuck with no where to turn around, when we came upon the entrance fee station. I told Billy to ask the ranger if we were ok to get in and back with our rig. The ranger didn't indicate that we would have any problems and so Billy got out his senior pass.....which we didn't need....you see, it was Veteran's Day and so the park was offering free admission to everyone. We slowly traveled back into the park and the surrounding landscape began to change. Suddenly, it felt like we were entering into a Winter Wonderland as everything around us began to turn white with little to no vegetation. There were lots of areas where even our rig could have pulled off the road and parked, but we kept going wanting to see where this adventure would take us. We finally came to a sign which stated that the pavement ended HERE! What the heck does that mean! It means, we discovered, that at this point they simply just plow through all those white sand dunes.......they make a big loop at the end in the "heart of the sands". Again, there is a large parking area where we could stop and explore. I couldn't wait to get out of the truck......and let my bare feet hit all that beautiful, white, sand.

That's us down there in the parking area.....looks like we are in Alaska......

I took this from a top of one of the sand dunes. I have to tell you my emotions were running high....to stand there surrounded by all that beauty was quite inspirational. I just felt so incredibly happy and filled with joy. It is an experience I will always treasure.

There's Billy and the furballs. Needless to say, he too was very impressed and glad we stopped. The furballs were even excited. They too seemed to know just how "special" this place is.....ya know, we never could get either one of them to "potty" while we were there. LOL! I know....weird....Billy said it was because it reminded them of their Granny's white carpet...and they know that is a major no...no!

OK, this is the last photo I'll share with you. Looks like it is snowing doesn't it or a starlit night? Well, my version of trick photography. You see, I took this while in the truck....those snowflakes or stars that you see....well...they are actually bug splatters on the windshield....who knew....they'd come out looking like snowflakes....he, he!White Sands is one nifty place and we do plan to return someday. When we come back, I plan on buying one of those snow sleds they sell at the gift shop. Yep! We saw a lot of folks "sledding" down those giant sand dunes....that's for me!It was hard to leave White Sands, but we continued our journey on to Las Cruces. We are staying at the Sunny Acres RV park. It is nothing special, but it is a passport America park. DAD.....we ate dinner last night at the La Posta de Mesilla. Really neat place and good food....the margarita's aren't bad either...it was a good thing I have my own private DD.....thanks for the info! LIFE IS GOODE!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Yep! You guessed it....we arrived yesterday in the "land of aliens"....otherwise known as Roswell, New Mexico. We had actually planned to go up to Santa Fe, but I looked at the weather forecast for the upcoming week and decided NOT! They are talking low temps in the teens and snow is also on the radar. Santa Fe will have to wait til spring. Apparently, the weather folks heard that the Goode's are traveling west this year. Now, it seems all of the west is in for unseasonably cold temps. We took Highway 60 out of Amarillo, doing our best to get south of the impending cold front. Seems the cold front is determined to catch up with us....it keeps slipping further down everyday.

We are currently spending a couple of days in Bottomless Lakes State Park. We stayed here last time we headed west. It is a nice park, nice spacing between rvs, beautiful views, and some of the sites have full hookups. We awoke to 30 degrees this am. Not too bad.....at least the sun is shinning. Tomorrow we will continue our journey heading to Las Cruces. Any out there that knows of a nice rv park in the area.....appreciate you passing the info along to us. Meanwhile.....I may have to dig out my longjohns!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Yep, I finally found a Wind Break here in Amarillo, Tx. It is called the Palo Duro Canyon....

It was a truly beautiful day. I'm just posting the one photo.....cause my camera just can't do justice. Standing there looking out over the canyon is inspiring and simply takes your breath away. Once we were down at the bottom...the winds were no more....and the temps sored into the 80's and low 90's. We had planned on doing some hiking while there, but we ran into a little problem. Bikers.....not the motorized kind...the mountain bike kind. They were everywhere. Now don't get me wrong....everyone deserves access, but I think there needs to be some bike only or hikers only paths. The bikers are all about taking the trails as fast as they can.....the one's we ran into were very polite, ringing their bells and saying 'excuse us'.....but we had to move off the path into the brush so they could pass. Now, if it would have been just us that would have been fine. But, we had our two furbabies with us and I don't like leaving the path with the dogs. I can't see what might be waiting in all that underbrush for the dogs to step on or into. So, back to the truck we went. Good news is, you can enjoy the beauty of the park driving the winding road that runs through it. There are plenty of areas where you can pull over and enjoy the view.

Ok, now I know you are all on the edge of your seats waiting for our new 'toy' to be revealed........drum roll please..........

It is our new induction cook top....and it is way cool! It can boil water in a heartbeat and we love the portability of it. If you want a few more details you can click on the icon to the right, we ordered ours through Amazon. It is something we have been looking at for a long time, but the price was just never right. Well, Bill found one that he felt would do the job and at a price we felt comfortable with......so far so good....we love it.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Yesterday was a do nothing day......nothing exciting anyway. I combed out the furballs, who are in need of a bath.....but this Texas wind is not going to let up anytime soon. I also got the laundry chore out of the way. I did take a few photos of our site.

As I said, no great views or anything....but nice level pad and nice spacing between sites.

We were lucky enough to get an end lot....just a short walk to the grassy area for the furballs.

I also had taken some photos of the new Amarillo Welcome Center. I love the way they did the bricks to give the look of the colorful canyons.

Here is an interior shot.....just beautiful

And of course, I had to include a photo of the cow pasture....

That is it for now.....tomorrow I'll share a photo of Billy's new toy....ok, I like the new "toy" too!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Yesterdays ride to Amarillo proved to be a lot smoother than we anticipated. Once we were in Amarillo we headed to our favorite rv park there......Oasis RV Park. Now this place doesn't have that "it factor"....no view and no hiking trails or anything like that, BUT it has everything else. Full hookups, level concrete pad and patio, grass for the furballs to tinkle upon, 50 cent washer/dryers, restaurant on site.....that delivers to your rv if you desire....well, you get the picture. The only big negative is you are close to the interstate and there is road noise. I'll post some photos in tomorrow's post. The really awesome thing is the price. Apparently they are determined to win the rv market here in Amarillo. We are paying $20 a night with the 3rd night free. We are staying here 6 nights.....$80.00......and that is a very Goode thing....LOL!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

I swear going through the state of Oklahoma on I40W has just about done us in. Yesterday was probably the worse. The road is so bad, it just about beat us both to death. I'm sure the poor furballs thought they were gonna die. Finally pulled off in Weatherford at the Route 66 RV park. Nothing special to report here. The place has a few permanent trailers and is in fair condition, but cost $28 for the night. We both felt that was too high for what it is, but we were so tired of bouncing down the road that we decide to go ahead and stay. At least the night was quiet and uneventful.

Today we are back on I40W heading to Amarillo. So far the road has been much better, we hope it last.

Monday, November 1, 2010

We left Toad Suck park today and headed toward Oklahoma along highway 4o. We had done our research (I thought) and had decided to stay in a small rv park in Checotah, Oklahoma called Oneda RV park. I checked out the parks web site and for a quick overnight stay it looked acceptable, plus it is a Passport America park so the the price was right (12.50). When we exited the highway and Oneda RV park came into view......to say we were disappointed is an understatement. The park is in very poor condition with several permanent rvs....all old and with lots of trash around them. Apparently the photo on the web site had been carefully cropped so one did not see the trashy surroundings. We really considered getting back on the highway, but we had done our research and knew that rv parks were far and few between in this neck of the woods. So, reluctantly we pulled into a large pull through at the end of the row. At least we were somewhat removed from the worst of the park and no one could pull in next to us on the curb side of our fifth wheel. The park owner was friendly. BUT.....I made the mistake of asking her to recommend a good restaurant in town. She did.....we went....and all I can say is.....YUCK. The restaurant was as run down as the park and the food was awful. I couldn't even eat mine. Back at the fiver the shades were drawn, the door was shut, and we were in for the night. I can't wait to put this park in our rear view mirror......

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About Me

That's me and my husband Bill! Don't we make a handsome couple! LOL! We live in a 40 foot fifth wheel full time and travel these United States. I am an acrylic Artist. I love to paint many different subjects, but have a special place in my heart for animals...all shapes and sizes.